Thoughts in Light of 9/11
I have just taken a few more moments to reflect upon the atrocity of 9/11. I heard a text that really makes me think back upon what happened and what to think in light of it. The text is Luke 13:1-8
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There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Many people ask where was God when 9/11 occured? Why did this happened? Why didn’t God stop it from happening? Those are tough questions to ponder and quite frankly, I don’t know. But upon reading this text, something struck me. We are appalled when innocent people die. In something that atrocious, we are disgusted and upset. I’ll never forget the look of my high school business teacher and super intendent when I saw for the first time the TV that morning. My class could barely take the quiz we had planned that day. I asked those very same questions.
But are we focusing upon the right thing? Are we supposed to become awestruck by the death of the innocent? I don’t know if that is the reason why these things happen. Look at the text above. There are two tragic events that occurred in Jewish history. Pilate was cruel to the Jewish people. He was noted for his multiple attacks upon the Jewish people. It was so bad that he was warned by the emperor under pain of death to stop. The people want to know from Jesus what he thought about those tragic events. Jesus answer was, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” He said yes they are dead, but unless you repent, you will too! In other words, your alive! Be thankful that your not and turn to God in repentance. Turn to God in grace and live!
He even goes one step farther in v. 4-5, “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” We are all sinners. We should have all been in the tower of Siloam. We should have all been in the World Trade Center that day. We should have all perished with those who died. Not only so, we should have received a thousand times worse! But we didn’t! God was gracious to us who did not die! We lived! Why? Not because we were better but so that we might repent!
Our focus now needs to be on the fact that we are alive and not dwell upon the dead. This does not mean that we cannot morn our dead. That needs to happen. They were mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, and cousins. They were loved deeply and should be missed deeply. But you are alive that you might repent and trust in God this day. This thought wieghs heavily upon me as I think over the last five years and what has happened to the world.
Where was God? He was in control the whole time. Could he have stopped it? Yes, but he had a reason for it. Is he less loving? No he isn’t. You and I are still alive to repent and turn to him before we suffer our just punishment. Turn and trust him now.
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Hank, In talking about Romans and the government at MT, I responded to the idea that God is in control of everything, something similar to what you are saying here. Dave countered with the following comment:
What do you think about that line of reasoning?
Well I’ll be the first to admit that it does sound like a cop-out. I can open up a huge can of worms. However, I don’t think Isaiah and the Old Testament prophets would have called the senseless slaughter of Israelites and Judaites a cop out when it was God who not only predicted those events, but ordained them.
The fact of the matter is, nothing happens with out God’s approval, whether by actively causing it or passively allowing it. Not even Job’s temptation occured without God making it so. For it was God who brought up the subject, not Satan. It was God’s will that Christ be mistreated and murdered by the Jews, Roman soldiers, and Pilate. God ordains some pretty terrible things.
However, just because it is just as much of a cop out to say: they are just human beings who beleive differently; the devil did it. If you really think about it, almost every excuse is a cop-out of some form.
But what I think this line of thinking does is that it gives purpose to these acts of violence. Jesus taught from the tower of Siloam and the murder of Jews by Pilate was that they are alive and need to repent. God, who is not a random and arbitrary God, does things for a purpose and in accordance with a plan. There is a reason behind everything he does. God is also a just God to show mercy on whomever he wills and to harden whomever he wills. If he ordains that the WTC falls, there is a just reason behind it. I don’t think that it is a cop-out.